Meagan Marie will be returning to Animekon this year. This will be her second appearance at the convention; her first was at Animekon V: The Empire Rises in 2014, where she was a guest along with D-Piddy and Junkers Cosplay. Animekon made the announcement in a video, which can be viewed below.
Marie has used her platform to establish Causeplay Shop; a charitable organisation which hosts semi-annual sales in order to raise money to contribute to causes. More than just a cosplayer, she is Senior Community manager at video game developer Crystal Dynamics and author of the book 20 Years of Tomb Raider: Digging up the Past, Defining the Future.
Learn more about Meagan Marie on Animekon’s website and on her Facebook Page. See her Animekon VIII: Limitless at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on September 2nd and 3rd.
In this week’s challenge the remaining contestants were split into two groups and had to make 10 – 15 second PSAs for Amber Rose’s Slut Walk organisation, focused on slut shaming, sexual assault and violence against women. In Team 1 were Paige, Tash, Cody and India and in Team 2 were Tatiana, Coryanne and Courtney.
Team 2 did not work well together and seemed to bicker (Tatiana and Courtney specifically) more than cooperate. Considering what was shown in the snippet of Amber’s explanation of the organisation and what it stands for, I thought that Team 2 was way off the mark with the message they delivered; they addressed women’s issues in general and I was under the impression that the core philosophy of the organisation was women’s sexual autonomy. In that way, it seemed to me that they went off topic.
Team 1 worked very well together, were confident and performed well overall. Their message was more in line with the impression I got from Amber’s explanation.
Amber’s criticisms for the groups were more or less the same as mine but flipped; what I said of Team 1, she said of Team 2 and vice versa. So when Team 2 won, I was confused. I must have misunderstood what Amber meant or the way the episode was edited made her explanation unclear.
At the shoot, the girls were styled as powerful women in the celebrity sphere and had to draw inspiration from them but still be themselves and bring their personality to the photo.
Paige as Britney, Cody as Grace Jones, Tash as Tina Turner and Courtney as Madonna were perfect choices. Tatiana was given Tyra Banks, Coryanne was given Beyonce and India was Katy Perry.
I liked Tash’s pose but her face was awkward to me; I’m not too fond of her mouth being open so wide. Her head was a little too far back. If she had tilted it down more it would have been perfect. But I loved the energy and definitely saw the Tina Turner in it. Coryanne’s photo was not as weak as I was expecting given her performance during the shoot, but her face could have been stronger and the pose was bland. She hit the nail on the head when she said she should have created more shape with her body. This was not Cody’s best photo but it was still pretty good. She also could have had a stronger face and the pose was almost there but not quite. I liked Courtney’s photo, but she could have been a lot sexier. The face looked a little lost and she didn’t sell me “Madonna.”
Click for full size image.
Paige really failed to do anything that wasn’t within her cheerleader persona on set. She focused too much on being like Britney and did not put herself into it, as I feared when she revealed how big a fan of Britney Spears she is. Her photo was boring and she didn’t look like a model. Her face didn’t work at all. India’s photo was beautiful! Her pose was simple but powerful and her face was stunning and alluring. I didn’t get Katy Perry from the photo as much as I did the shoot, but that doesn’t take away from how amazing the photo was. Tatiana played it too safe. Even before she said that she was lost, you could tell that she was on set. She brought none of the fierceness and sex appeal that Tyra has. She underperformed and her photo was underwhelming. She looked like she was just standing there. She didn’t smize at all!
I was kind of but at the same time not surprised that Paige went home. I’m still not sure how I feel about it. She was far more consistent than Coryanne was during the competition and performed better, but I can’t say that Coryanne should have gone home. This was a strange bottom two and no matter who was chosen I would have felt weird about it.
Random thoughts:
I still think Paige should have been called first last week.
I did not realise how much I missed Law until I saw the preview for next week’s episode.
America’s Next Top Model airs Wednesdays at 10 PM on VH1.
Hear tune! My name is Kofi Jones and I am a Socaholic. I am not ashamed. I love a piece of soca. In any fete, bar, restaurant or bank line, I’m just waiting until I can hear Lil Rick telling girls what to do with their “bumpas” or continue to study Edwin’s fascination with “the road.” My wedding vows will most likely be soca lyrics (wife pending). It is by far the happiest genre of music ever created. I’ve heard sad techno songs. The saddest thing to happen in soca history is when Gorg lost his Jordans to his woman in the separation. (RIP Jordans, 2014).
I found it fitting that for my first list, I share my top 5 favorite soca songs. Note I said my top 5; this isn’t a definitive list. I’m sure we’ll disagree on maybe a couple of songs on my list, but these hold a special place in my life. I’m also going to be using a “1 song per artist” rule. I don’t need a list with 5 Machel songs. Now that’s all out of the way, onto the fun stuff.
#5. “Bonnie and Clyde” – Destra Garcia (2004)
“I’m you Queen.You’remy King.My darling.”
The Queen of Bacchanal takes the number five spot with this gem of a song; simply one of the most melodic power soca songs to date. Destra immediately grabs our attention with an infectious introduction – sampled from 80s classic “Take On Me” by A-ha – that’s just inviting the listener to sing along. Her voice literally puts a smile on my face whenever I hear this song. You can feel the love Destra has for her Clyde. Honestly, this song probably would’ve landed higher on my list if it wasn’t brought to my attention a couple of years ago that her Clyde is…a washcloth. A bandana. A rag. For years I was under the impression that this song is about Destra losing her man in a fete and wanting to be with him. I mean this was 2004. She couldn’t exactly open WhatsApp and be like “Babes I by the bar. Part you is?”
“We need each other like de water wetting the lawn.
There is no other boy
And yuh sure yuh can’t get no horn.”
Who can blame me for being mistaken with lyrics like that? Granted she also sang:
“Words cya describe how I dying tuh wave yuh.
I miss the way I used to fold and unfold yuh.”
So I’ll get my Steve Harvey on and apologize. I’m sorry Miss Garcia, there’s been a mistake. I misinterpreted your song.
#4. “Professional [pruh-fesh-un-nal]” – Ricardo Drue ft Jo Jo and the iDNATION (2015).
“Show mewayuhdrinking. Drinkwayadrinking. I’m a professional.”
I’ll admit it’s abnormal to have a song that’s a little over a year old in an all-time favorites list. But no soca list is complete without a drinking song. It’s just a staple in the culture. You don’t have to drink alcohol, mind you. You can bawl this song at the top of your lungs with a Red Frutee in your hand and feel the same way.
This song needed to make this list because of its simplicity. There’s nothing deep about this song and you don’t need to spend time thinking on it to understand. The entire song can be summarized with: “Ricardo likes drinking and he handles his liquor well. His significant other doesn’t like him drinking, however, but he will continue to drink.” That’s it. In addition to its simplicity, the background vocals really brought this song to life. We have Jo Jo and the iDNATION to thank for that. The hook sounds like a chorus of singers, or better yet, like a group of friends just liming and singing, with Ricardo at the lead. Anytime you see me in a party DJing and I play this song, look at me and I will be singing it.
#3. “Vibes Cyan Done” – Machel Montano (2012)
“Twenty man, a hundred woman. Oh gosh the vibes cyah done.”
Oh gosh; to pick a favorite Machel song. The monk himself. It’ll be easier for my mom to pick a favorite child (Let me help mom; it’s me). Machel just has too many hits.
I was going to pick his 2011 song “Bend Over”, but I don’t feel it as much anymore. I also like “You” from 2005, but I don’t want this list drowned with power soca. After staring at my Serato crates and a bit of soul searching, I came to a decision.
“It’s the way how I do mi ting yea.
I so from since ah small.
I’m tellin you baby,
It’s the feeling the music bring yea.
I can’t behave at all.”
This is one of my pre-game tunes! Whenever I’m getting ready to go to an event to work, I either put on my playlist or watch Bounty Killer’s 2006 birthday bash performance (more on the latter at a later date).
This song feels like my personal introduction; like I’m giving my audience an idea of what to expect when I press play on my left deck. When Slashsoundz land “the vibes cyah done.”
#2. “Hard Wine” – Lil Rick (1997)
“Good gawd dat kinda wine den.”
“Rude boys could wukup good.
Somebody say something bout hard wine?
Gal mek bumpa wine mek bumpa wine,
Mek bumpa wine mek bumpa wine.
OK, OK. Woman at front and man behind.
We gin wine wine wine wine.
Wine wine wine wine.
Wuk up gone big time.
New juks design.
Hard wine hard wine!”
Cheese on bread! Lil Rick aka The Chihuahua Business man aka Hypa Dawg aka Mr. Crop Over. Do I have to say anything to justify this entry? From the time you hear that tuk drum in the intro, everyone in a 100-yard radius of the bass speaker is scientifically proven to at least shake a leg. This song just militant den! Yes, “militant.” It was 1997. My brother says that was the word they used back then.
#1. “The Heart of a Man” – Zan ft Machel Montano (2006)
“It’s like the heart of a man we pumping.”
OK, I know I said I’m a socaholic, but I cannot wukup to save my life. I give a valiant effort and try with all my might. But my waistline always ends up looking like that of a white, middle aged, dad at the Plantation Garden Theatre. So naturally, one of my favorite tropes in soca music is “the instruction song.”
“Head, hands, legs, feet, spine, belly, bambam, waist. Every single creed and race.”
This 2006 single took the Caribbean by storm. The dance – as I understand, from word of mouth, was created at the “Brewster’s Road Crew” party (BRC) – is simple enough that anyone can do it. And I mean anyone. This dance is pretty much a next level “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”; you simply touch your head, hands, legs and feet, and end with a vigorous wukup (or a brave attempt at one). That’s not the only reason this song takes the top spot. The lyrics of this song scream unity. The kind you can only get with a soca song.
“Well if yuh would meet a stranger
Call him yuh brudda
Drink from the same glass
Sharing yuh liquor
Jumping up in a band
With one another
When de bacchanal end
Well you made a new friend.”
When you can feel a spark of friendship and find yourself forming a bond with a total stranger, doing extreme “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”, you know your song is a classic.
The Barbadian/UK film A Caribbean Dream – an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Mid Summer Night’s Dream – is set to premiere at Limegrove Cinemas on February 28th in an invitation only event and will be screened from March 1st through 7th at Limegrove Cinemas and Olympus Theatres.
The film had a preview screening at the Barbados Independent Film Festival on January 14th. Caribbean Film Productions Ltd, the production company behind the film, released a short video about the screening.
The film has also been selected for the London Independent Film Festival and the 7th Annual Charlotte Black Film Festival.
Photos from the preview screening can be seen over on our Facebook Page.
This was an amazing first episode. It was captivating and thrilling, fun and funny. The opening sequence was evocative, especially the final shot of David hanging himself.
I love David and Sydney as individuals and as a couple. Dan Stevens (David) and Rachel Keller (Sydney) have very good chemistry and although David and Sydney’s love story was kind of glossed over by being delivered in a montage, it was still compelling and believable that the two of them loved each other. This episode did a good job of condensing information and effectively delivering it through visuals. So when Sydney went back for David and risked her life for him, I bought that she would do that (beyond him apparently already having been a target of the organisation she is working for) and it didn’t feel like it was forced for the sake of the plot and the narrative.
I liked Sydney from the group therapy session scene. Her demeanor and attitude drew me to her. Her entire speech about their apparent psychosis not being the case was when I realised she was a mutant and probably knew that David was one too. For obvious reasons she reminds me of Rogue. I didn’t expect her body switching power to be temporary and wear off on its own, though.
When the Interrogator was speaking about the girl who died, I thought he was referring to Sydney. It came as a surprise when it was actually Lenny (Aubrey Plaza). I forgot that this show was on FX and on at 10 PM, so I was not prepared for the gruesome shot of Lenny’s dead body stuck in the wall with a huge spray of blood surrounding it. Although, when their therapist and Sydney found the rooms without the doors, I was expecting to see someone stuck in the wall…just not like that.
The episode was a little hard to follow at times because it jumped around in time a lot and because of the nature of David’s powers and his tendency to retreat within his own mind. But it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of it and I was still able to understand what was going on overall.
I never questioned who the girl was with David in all of his flashbacks to his childhood or why she was there and I didn’t make the connection that the little girl and the woman that visited him in prison were one in the same. Nor did I put it together that she was his sister. I thought that she was his mother, in fact, but the only thing off about that was her apparent age.
This show is not what I expected it would be, but not at all in a bad way. From the one trailer I watched (the first one), I thought that it would be David in the psychiatric hospital being questioned by the Interrogator and the story would be framed as David telling him a story. Essentially, though, all of the footage in the first trailer is from this first episode. As the episode continued I started to think that it would be about finding out what happened in “the incident” and how, as well as looking for Sydney.
Both of these assumptions were dead wrong. It looks to be about these two organisations – neither of which we know the name of – working against each other toward some unknown goal.
I really enjoyed this episode and am looking forward to watching the rest of the series. Here’s to hoping it finds its audience and is not cancelled. But we’ll see how good the rest of it is compared to this.
Chitose meets her new manager, a (way too) energetic Matsuoka. He is going to be an aide to Gojo until he can properly take over Chitose’s workload (He’s already proven himself too much for Chitose within the first minute).
Chitose wastes no time in being smug towards the new girl Nanami, but little does she know that the President no longer has her in his best interests. He states to Gojo that he hasn’t seen any growth from her compared to Nanami and he is therefore ready to cut her off and move on to the next star.
At the final rehearseal for the agency’s Christmas event, Chitose says she’s been feeling more tired than usual, despite Matsuoka’s attempts to keep her involved in the rehearsal, but in reality, she has been extremely lazy, thinking things will just fall into her lap because she got a lead role. While Nanami and the others head out to practice once more, Gojo tries to hint to Chitose how everyone will leave her behind at this rate.
Chitose overhears some event staff members talking about a surprise- she assumes it’s because her birthday is shortly coming up, but alas it isn’t. It’s actually to celebrate the surprise debut of Nanami’s first CD. This sends shock waves of jealousy and resent through Chitose, now that she finally acknowledges that everyone has moved on from her and has diverted all of their attention towards Nanami, even the fans.
We find out that Kuzu has been skipping work to try and beat records that his former co-worker set. He feels as though he wasn’t needed, so when Towada calls him about needing an extra person for some deliveries, it fires Kuzu up.
I’m starting to feel a bit sad for Chitose, but was this all deserved? Maybe. What do you think? What will this lead to? See you next time!
Ja Ne!
Girlish Number airs on Crunchyroll every Wednesday at 1:00PM (AST)
Logitech, the brand synonymous with quality in the PC peripheral market, has released a new 4K webcam for consumers. The Logitech Brio 4K Pro Webcam launched yesterday for $199 dollars. A high price, but with it comes 4K recording with HDR and the company’s latest RightLight features to improve low-light situations. HDR will improve image quality significantly in lowlight settings as well as aid the camera in other light related issues usually found on other competing webcams.
In the Brio, Logitech has included an infrared-based facial recognition system, which means you can use the Windows Hello feature in Windows 10 to log into a PC with just your face. Logitech is also supporting an impressive 5x zoom at 1080p and 60fps recording at the same resolution.
The Brio is available today directly from Logitech.com as well as from the company’s resellers worldwide. The MSRP of the product is $199 in the U.S., £199 in the UK, and €239 in Europe.
Technical Specifications
4K Ultra HD video calling (up to 4096 x 2160 pixels @ 30 fps)
1080p Full HD video calling (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels @ 30 or 60 fps)
720p HD video calling (up to 1280 x 720 pixels @ 30, 60, or 90 fps)
Plug-and-play USB connectivity
90 degree field of view (FOV) with two additional settings (65 degrees and 78 degrees) available with optional software download
5x digital zoom in Full HD
Autofocus
RightLight™ 3 with HDR for clear image in various lighting environments ranging from low light to direct sunlight
Built-in dual omni-directional mics with noise cancellation
Infrared sensor technology
Background replacement
External privacy shutter
Multiple mounting options, including clip and tripod mount
Supports multiple connection types, including USB 2.0 Type A and USB 3.0 Type A and C connections
Custom carrying case
Background replacement, a Logitech labs project powered by Personify
Is it just me or was this week’s episode a lot better than they’ve been recently? I wasn’t annoyed with anyone this week and that in and of itself was quite a feat. In fact, instead of criticising Wally for doing typical Wally things, I was cheering him on for the entirety of this episode. Especially during the race that opened it. Wally would have won the race if Barry hadn’t phased through the building; he had the lead and he was holding it. Barry’s win does not count.
This week’s meta, Yorkin; a man who can decay anything he touches, was one of the people whose Flashpoint powers and memories were restored by Julian when he was Dr. Alchemy and he feels very guilty about it. So much so that he more or less took it out on Caitlin. Are we supposed to ship the two of them now? I feel like they’re going to happen. I wouldn’t mind the two of them becoming a couple, but given Caitlin’s track record – Robbie died twice and Jay was a super villain – and that Julian used to be Dr. Alchemy and I don’t trust that he won’t become him again once Savitar returns, I don’t see this relationship going well. But we can enjoy the ship while it lasts.
Yorkin’s first attack, the murder of a chef at a restaurant, was the circumstance under which one of the headlines from the future occurred. Iris is the only one on Team Flash who noticed and because they failed to change this headline, she was scared that they won’t be able to prevent her death. Given that Team Flash’s entire mission is to change these headlines, one would think that they would be far more vigilant about the people and places mentioned in them and that Barry, who was at the crime scene, would have noticed that he was standing in the restaurant from the headline. Furthermore, shouldn’t they be monitoring said people and places to prevent these things from happening or something? I feel like Team Flash should be a lot more proactive about this.
Also, I guess since Iris wrote that article she’s not afraid of not leaving a legacy anymore and is now afraid of dying? Because last week she said she wasn’t afraid of dying.
Yorkin’s targets were police officers from Flashpoint who arrested him and one of them just so happened to be Joe. Unfortunately, Joe had a date with Cecile to meet her daughter Joanie. Joe’s reasoning for not cancelling those plans made no sense to me. Yes, as a police officer his life is always endanger, but here he has someone actively trying to killing him. Which is more immediate than the inherent risks of his job. He should be taking measures to protect himself. Going on a date to meet his girlfriend’s daughter is not reason enough not to do that. He’s only putting the two of them in danger. And as was predictable to anyone who watches The Flash – or TV in general – that is exactly what happened; Yorkin attacked Joe during the date. Which was awkward, due in large part to Joanie.
Afterward, when Joe insists on checking up on Cecile and Joanie, Iris finally tells him about her impending death and he becomes – justifiably – very upset. I still say Joe should have been in the loop from be beginning. Keeping it a secret from him really didn’t mean anything and given the morality of this show, everyone finds out secrets very much sooner rather than later. There was no point to it expect for the sake of cheaply manufactured drama and tension.
Yorkin attacks Iris and she’s taken back to Star Labs to be treated. When Barry suggested using his blood to save Iris and Julian said no, I expected Julian to suggest they use Wally’s since he is her brother and they would be more likely to be a match. But no, the actual solution Julian was putting forward was to somehow get speedster blood into Yorkin to neutralise his powers. Don’t see why the writers couldn’t have done both things, though. Given that Yorkin’s power works the opposite way to speedsters’ regenerative abilities, using speedster blood as a cure wouldn’t be that far of a stretch. This show was relied on greater leaps in logic than that.
Wally saves the day by finally acquiring the ability to phase, which he’d been learning to do all episode, and phasing his speedster blood into Yorkin; the only way to get it into him without touching him. Team Flash uses Yorkin to synthesise a cure of Iris and Jesse shows up in the post credits scene to tell Wally that Grodd has Harry.
Random thoughts:
It kind of is about winning and losing, Barry. Kick is butt Wally!
Team Flash doesn’t follow protocol Julian.
I thought you said you weren’t afraid of dying last week, Iris.
They put Joe on the spot!
Where did he find clothes that are resistant to his decaying powers?
At the first recording for the second season of Kusure, it clear that Momoka and Kazuha have grown closer since Yamagata. The agency has a newbie seiyuu named Nanami and Kazuha reminds Chitose that with Nanami around now, Chitose should step up her game and not remain in the same stale position.
Kuzu has been showing up less and less, spending more of his time at the hostess bar. Towada said that Kuzu was known for working hard hard before moving over to their side, but it was because of a co-worker, Shakuji, at his former company who constantly outshone him.
Nanami joins the team with the president while they having drinks. She acts as a newbie should, pouring drinks for those who have been in the business longer than her. When asked about her thoughts on Kusure, Nanami is very earnest in what she thinks. SHe expresses her love for the show with the amount of research she has done in collecting and reading the first prints of the original works. The only critism she had for the show was that she wished more people watched it.. (Urk! I can’t stand this sort of person) which seems to impress the staff, including the author’s editor.
Another day, in a meeting with the President, he informs Chitose and Gojo that he wants Nanami to audition for a role and for Gojo to be in charge of her. He said that the way she expressed herself was impressive so he wants to give her a try. Gojo is reluctant at first, but soon accepts it. Chitose is clearly bothered by the fact that this newwbie is taking all of the attention away from her, plus Gojo and she thinks aloud about quitting the industry just as her brother did after only getting one lead role……….Awkward……see you next time!
Ja Ne!
Girlish Number airs on Crunchyroll every Wednesday at 1:00PM (AST)
Kazuha, her Manager, Momoka, Towada, and ugh…Kuzu finally arrive at the inn that her family owns and runs in Yamagata. Shortly after they arrive, Kazuha’s father enters, and Towada wastes no time ejecting Kuzu out of the room and the conversation for fear of him making things worse. As the two profusely apologize to him, Kazuha’s father accepts their humbleness and thanks them for looking after his daughter.
As they discuss her present and future works, Kazuha gets into an argument with her father who tells she may as well go back home. Her mother however, interjects and insists that they at least stay the night.
While Kuzu, Towada and Manager indulge in the hot springs, Kazuha takes Momoka sight seeing. They eventually get talking and Kazuha finds out that Momoka hasn’t told her manager or anyone else that she dumped the Pure Para dinner meeting to travel to Yamagata.
After a bit of discussion, Momoka feels better and finally calls her manager, after ignoring phone calls all day. She finds out that her mother was also worried about her, but Momoka gathers her courage and tells her mother that she doesn’t want to be in the same show as her, that show being Pure Para. Momoka says that she’d rather get the part on her own terms, rather than just because she is Sakura’s daughter.
When they return to the inn, Kazuha finds out from her mother that her father did a lot of research in regards to her work when she first left. He just has a hard time expressing himself, just like she does. The next day, everyone makes their return trip to Tokyo in good spirits, well, except for Towada, Manager and Kuzu who all have tremendous hangovers after drinking heavily the night before. See you next time!
Ja Ne!
Girlish Number airs on Crunchyroll every Wednesday at 1:00PM (AST)